AAR from Bogus,
Well it Didn’t end so well. What should have been a straight out victory turned out to be a valiant defence by the red.
All they had left was the last airfield of Anapa, one held city and a carrier somewhere off in the ocean. As fighters, we pushed hard. Tried to dominate the skies. Ground pounders did a great job thinning out the air defences of the airfield even though the nearby city was still hostile.
First problem was the distance of getting our mirages to Anapa. Sochi was the nearest spawn point for our fighters if we lost one in battle and that took some time to get back to Anapa. We had great co-ordination with A10’s who arrived on station a few minutes after the fighter screen. But some very plucky Red pilots scooted from Ramp and taxi way take offs and engaged our ground pounders before we could aquire them. At the same time SU33’s were arriving from the carrier and shortly thinned our ranks.
All we had to do was just a little more ground pounding and then drop some troops off to secure the airfield and the win. But alas, the red beast had awoken. We were no longer in advantage of numbers. Spawning from the besieged airfield and launching from the carrier meant they were on station far quicker than we could get a new aircraft and re-enter the fray.
it didn’t take long for our fighter screen to be pushed back down the coast towards Sochi. Friendly Fields of Glendzhik and Novro offered not much protection from range of the SU33 Barage. We quickly learned that trying to land or take off there was a quick death. As our fighter screen was pushed back, what ground pounding assets we had in our airfields to the east of Anapa where now cut off.
We re-organised our fighter screen and quickly shook off the lazy ways of heading up one by one due to our previous number advantage. Now we are moving en-mass, part of a team, a lesson quickly taught to us by the emerging red.
A few scuffles ensued and whilst we did well covering each other and trading blows, the enemy had now met us halfway back to Sochi. With the heat off of Anapa, the red ground pound machine was now airborne and harassing 3 different airfields.
I was down to 2 spare aircraft left at this point, and off we went again. A 3 ship this time of Mirages. We were engaged by enemy SU33 and Su27 along the coast not far below our level, my RWR screaming at me as I had been locked by both. Whilst they were looking at me I tried my best to keep their attention as surely they don’t know that they both have me. Flares, chaff, jinking, looking and praying was now in vogue as under my breath I was chanting for my other 2 wingmen to take the advantage of the pre-occupied enemy.
We took them down and now I am lagging from my defensive work behind my other 2 guys. I am catching up well and trying to reform when my two wingmen inform they are engaged again. I can see them all dancing in the sky, that pretty dance of fluttering aircraft, turning and banking, that dance of death. When searching hard with the radar and IFF’ing who is friendly and enemy, a pop up SU33 flanking us from the ocean catches my attention. He is going to bounce my 2 very busy wingmen, so I peel off and try to engage. Its at this time I realise I have one 530 and one Magic against what most likely is a fully ladened enemy.
Wrongly or rightly I fire first, outside of launch parameters hoping his screeching RWR will make him jink so I can close for the kill. He doesn’t take the bait and a missile is now inbound for me. There is no option, I am defensive. Pulling twisting he gets on my heels, but I shake him and fire my last missile… It misses. On the radio I hear a wingman has gone down but another is on its way to try and engage my bandit.
We are twisting and turning, trying hard to remember that dance, a dance of death I am not very good at. When my heart skips faster from the radio call that a friendly is close on my bandit and is engaging. The enemy is squarely on my tail now, my RWR Screaming I hear the friendly call out his launch at the bandit. My heart is now jumping for joy.
Its only a few seconds later my heart then sinks as words over the radio call … “MISS !, MISS!”
It was a few seconds after that the inevitable bang was heard as my mirage started tumbling uncontrollably in the skies…
My next loss was another big fight. A four ship of Mirages against a host of enemy of different guises, and I was out of lives.
I gracefully bowed out knowing we will not win tonight. And as I check now, the red horde has already consumed one of our bases and the interactive map shows a few more under attack. Its time to sleep now. Time to let it all go and see what the damage will be when I wake in the morning.